I Almost Do
by Jill122198
Summary: RPF: Two years after Pretty Little Liars has finished filming, Lucy recounts the details that took her far away from the love of her life. What will it take to erase the past and get Ian back in her arms?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hi, so I decided to start this story based off the song I Almost Do by Taylor Swift because it just screamed lucian to me. This will probably be 3-4 chapters maybe 5. If it bothers you reading about the actors, then I'm sorry, just don't read it then. Alright then here we go.**

**I'm not in any way affiliated with Lucy or Ian. This is just a harmless story about the two of them **

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It had been forever since Lucy had been home. Well at least it felt that way. Working from 5 in the morning till 11 at night wasn't exactly the most energizing thing in the world. Usually after a long day she would curl up on the couch with Jack in her lap watching t.v until she dozed off to sleep. But tonight was different, somehow. Tonight she felt restless. In attempt to tire herself a little more, she pulled her laptop from the coffee table onto her lap as she seated herself on the couch. What would it hurt to sign on to Twitter for a few minutes?

The computer fired up with a roar, working hard to pull up the webpage for Lucy. Jack scurried over to find a place on the couch next to his lovely owner, while she began to scroll through her timeline, looking for anything interesting. Suddenly, her breath caught in her throat and she was sure her heart skipped a beat when her eyes stopped on ever so familiar name. _He _didn't tweet much now a days, and when he did Lucy was usually too busy to see it. Which helped. It was ridiculous, they'd been so close and now they were, well they were practically less than strangers.

Two years, it had been two years since they had stopped filming the show and yet _he_ somehow still had a massive effect over her. Lucy had thought that the few weeks in Paris after _Pretty Little Liars _had wrapped would help her move on. Lucy had prayed that it would have erased all her memories of _him _and made everything one hundred times easier. But that hadn't happened. If anything, when Lucy had gotten back from Paris, everything had seemed harder. It was harder to avoid the calls and texts when they were in fact only a good 30 minutes away from each other.

She didn't want this tonight. Lucy had no desire to be reminded of all the memories they had together. The laughs that had started it all and the tears that brought it to a tragic close. Her heart began to ache from sadness and longing, a similar ache to the one she had experienced the last time she had seen _him_. There was nothing more that Lucy wanted in the world than just a simple phone call to him. But she quickly reminded herself she couldn't do that. She could barely think his name in the safety of her own head without feeling pain, she couldn't imagine what hearing his voice would do to her.

I was her fault though, wasn't it? On that very last night, she had been the one to decline him, hadn't she been? Lucy cursed herself under her breath; she had been pushing that night's events away for so long that they were hard to recall now. She remembered the little details though. Like the way her lover had smelled and the way he had held her a few seconds too long in their last embrace of the night. Lucy faintly remembered him telling her something, something very important. He had told her with such urgency. She recalled how she had said something back to him, something that had broken her very own heart to say, and proceeded to watch as he walked away with a single tear in his eye. What had she done? And why? Nothing seemed to make sense to Lucy now.

The burden of his name had lessened as she had pushed the painful part of that night away, and she was able to say it in her mind with ease now. Ian. Beautiful, perfect Ian. Oh how she had loved him. The thought of calling Ian popped back into her mind and Lucy had to remind herself once again why it was a bad idea. She was so close to doing it though. She knew very well that he was still up. He had the energy of a toddler and could be found wide awake till the latest peak of the night. Lucy wondered if he was working on a new project now but then became furious at the thought. The simple idea of his lips pressed against any one but her's, enraged her to no end. There was a small lump forming in her throat begging her night to cry, as Lucy thought of the kisses they had shared. The way his lips fit perfectly with hers as if they were designed to kiss her and only her.

The more she thought about Ian, the more frustrated she became with herself. Sure, there were some nights where she was reminded of him at a party or social event. But tonight was more painful than that. Tonight Lucy was forcing herself to think of old memories that she had left on the shelf for far too long. She was being crazy though. As much as Lucy hoped that Ian thought of her now she knew that the hope was lost just like all his calls and texts had been on her. For the first year after the show had stopped, Lucy had ignored every single one of his texts and calls until they had stopped coming all together. It was a terrible thing to do and she knew that very well. But the night she had left the finale party she had promised herself she wouldn't hurt Ian anymore. This was her way of doing that. Separation. She had to set him free. Knowing that he had been in love with her for so long, Lucy knew that she couldn't make him wait for her anymore. So as she left into the darkness that night, and left behind the Warner Brother's studios, it was as if she was leaving behind Ian too.

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**The next chapter will be a flashback so you can see exactly what happened the night she left Ian behind. I'm not sure when I'll update next but maybe in about a week. :) Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hello again! So thanks for the great feedback for this story, I love it :) You're all awesome and I love you. So now I have brought you a new chapter. Alright, here we go :)**

**I don't own anything and I'm not associated with Lucy or Ian in any way.**

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The next morning when Lucy woke, she was greeted with a pounding headache and sun shining into her tired eyes. She let out a small groan of protest as she sat up in her bed and found it was Annie who had let the burning light into her room. Her roommate handed her a small glass of water and Lucy suddenly became very aware of how dry her mouth felt. Annie watched patiently as Lucy chugged the glass of water in a matter of seconds, and when she was done began to hammer the girl with questions.

"Do you want to tell me why I came home last night to find you passed out on the couch, with your laptop still on your lap and the webpage opened to Ian's twitter profile?" Annie asked with a little bitterness in her voice. Lucy knew all too well that Annie resented Ian ever since they had stopped talking. She had a pretty good reason too, seeing that Ian had messed her best friend up pretty bad for about a year. Annie then realized that Lucy was fighting back tears now and softened her tone of voice, "Unless you don't want to talk about it. That's fine too."

"I really don't know how it happened, Annie," Lucy admitted as she began to climb out of the warm safety of her bed. "One minute I was scrolling through twitter and the next I was beating myself up for leaving him that night. I miss him." Lucy found the words hard to say but felt relieved as soon as she had. She missed Ian more than anything in the world. Not only had she lost the love of her life, but she had also lost someone who had been her closest friend.

"You never did tell me what happened that night," Annie stated simply, not as if she was probing for a story but was just stating the obvious. Lucy knew it was weird to not share what had happened with her best friend but there was just something about the night that made her feel like she couldn't share it with anyone. Maybe she thought that if she didn't talk about it, the memories would just go away. That didn't seem to be happening though.

"Annie?" Lucy squeaked out, capturing her friend's attention as she began to make a pot of coffee, "Can we talk about that night?"

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_The air was brisk and chilly as Lucy stepped out of her car and began to make her way up the Warner Brother's Studios stairs to the cast party. They had finished filming the final episode of Pretty Little Liars only the day before, and were now all gathered together to say a final goodbye and reminisce. It was bittersweet for the brunette, seeing that the following morning she would be flying to Paris to start filming her first major motion picture. _

_As Lucy entered the building, she was engulfed in warm arms that held her tight. She pulled away to find Ian, and she could tell he already had a few drinks in him. But he wasn't drunk. Ian never got drunk._

_"Well now that you're here, the party can really start," He joked as he wrapped one arm around her waist, leading her through the party. Ian was never this direct, but he seemed free spirited and fun tonight. Definitely not that same person that preferred to stay in his house rather than going out. _

_A permanent smile seemed to be painted on Lucy's face as she danced through the night, laughing and giggling with her cast mates. Ian never seemed to leave her side either, but she didn't mind at all. She loved having Ian there by her side all night. Something about it made her feel happy and content. Ian was like her own personal security blanket that made her feel safe whenever he was around. _

_Slowly, the night began to come to a close. Everyone's eyes began to droop and their veins were happily filled with alcohol. Lucy was just about to grab her coat and say her goodbyes to everyone when she felt Ian tap her on the shoulder. _

_"Hey, I was just about to leave. What's up?" She turned to him, smiling brightly as he pulled her in for a final hug. _

_"I wanted to tell you something," He hesitated. Ian seemed nervous which was something very out of character for him. Sure, Ian was awkward and goofy, but he embraced it. He was always confident in himself. It was one of the many things Lucy proudly loved about him. _

_"Ian, what's wrong?" Lucy took his hand in hers in an attempt to calm him, "You know you can tell me anything."_

_"I know. But..." She watched him take a deep breath before unleashing everything, "I love you Lucy. You're one of the most beautiful, selfless, amazing girls I've ever met. I've tried to push away these feelings for so long because I felt it was never an appropriate time. But now,well, I don't think I can do that anymore. I want to be the man you're proud to call the love of your life, just like how I'm proud to call you mine. Please Lucy, all I need is for you to tell me you love me too. We can take a nice trip together and just spend the rest of our lives together. I love you."_

_Lucy found herself at a loss of words. There was this beautiful man standing in front of her, confessing his feelings after years of pushing them away. All he needed to hear were three simple words. Yet somehow she couldn't bring herself to speak them. She definitely felt them but there was just something that felt odd to her about saying them out loud. Her plane was scheduled to leave first thing in the morning, which mean that Lucy would be gone for a good three months in Paris. Ian had already waited so long for her, it didn't feel right to keep him waiting any longer. She just couldn't._

_"Ian," Lucy could feel the tears desperately trying to break through. She wouldn't let them. She refused to let Ian see her cry, "I love you too. I love you so much. Everyday I love you more than the last, if that's even possible. But this...the timing and everything...it's just not gonna work. It can't. I've kept you wrapped around my finger this whole time without even noticing it and I'm really, really sorry for that. Which is why I can't do this to you anymore. I'm leaving first thing in the morning and you can tell me that you'll wait for me, but it won't change my mind. I need to let go, and so do you."_

_She turned swiftly on her heals and began to leave as fast as she could. Lucy bit back the burning sting of the tears until she got to her car. Then finally, it all came out. She was sure she had spent at least an hour crying before Lucy convinced herself she had to stop and drive home. Once she was in the safety of her own home, everything only got worse. The mere hours that were left of the night were spent crying and packing but definitely not sleeping. Every time Lucy closed her eyes to sleep, it was if all she could see was Ian's face. It was haunting her. She began to wonder if her decision would haunt her for the rest her life._

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**Reviews are gladly appreciated! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys thanks again for the great feedback in both the reviews and on twitter. (Side note: If you don't already follow me on twitter I suggest you do ;) LucianHarding) Anyone enough of my annoying self. Here's the chapter.**

**I don't own anything and I'm not associated with Ian or Lucy.**

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Ian was woken up to a sound of a horn blaring outside his window and then forced himself to get out of bed. He had an audition for a new project at one and figured he should probably get himself up and ready now. Tiredly, he made his way to the kitchen to brew some coffee. Ian was just getting ready to sit down when he heard the distant noise of his phone beeping from the bedroom. When he read the name on the screen, he almost fell to the floor in surprise. It sure was a name he never thought he'd see again.

_Lucy: H_ey _Ian. How are you?_

It was a simple text and yet it sent his heart aching. Lucy. The love his life. The beautiful face he'd lost two years ago. Here she was texting him as if no time had passed. He wondered to himself if it was an act of actual caring or because she wanted something. The last time they'd seen each other had left him scared forever. He had wished so many days for a do over with Lucy. Maybe this was his chance.

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She had needed to do it. Yes, Claire and Annie had pushed her to do it but in the end it had been her decision. It felt so good too. It felt good to know that she had a chance of getting the closure she had needed for over two years. The text was simple but her heart had been beating furiously since she had pressed send. Why hadn't he answered yet? Had he erased her number? Or worse, erased her completely?

So here she sat, across from Claire and Annie who were chatting about nothing, worrying about Ian yet again. Claire was trying to engage her in the conversation and try to get her mind off of Ian, but Lucy was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to participate. After a while, she looked up with tears collecting in her eyes.

"What if Ian doesn't care anymore?" She asked, her voice shaking. Claire moved to the couch where Lucy was and took her hand.

"Lucy, Ian was so in love with you. I doubt he would let it slide like it was nothing. He cared about you then. He'll still care about you now," Claire reassured her and Annie nodded her head in agreement. Lucy smiled at them, starting to feel a little better from her friend's words. Suddenly, her phone began to buzz and Lucy's ringtone filled the air.

"It's Ian."

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"Lucy?" Ian asked, his breath shaky. Why he had decided to call, he wasn't sure but it had been an impulse decision. To say he was nervous was the biggest understatement of the year.

"Ian!" She exclaimed and Ian's heart did somersaults. He had missed that voice so much and it gave him butterflies all over again. "How are you?"

"I'm good...well I'm doing a lot better now that we're talking," Ian mentally cursed himself. Was he really flirting already? Did he want to mess things up yet again? He tried to tone it down a little bit, "You know, long time no talk."

Lucy was silent for a moment, and it sounded like she was talking to someone else that was with her. Ian hadn't even realized it but he began to pace, waiting desperately for her answer. He heard a giggle on the other line. It was a laugh he had missed greatly and he was more than happy to finally have it back in his life. If that's what Lucy wanted. To be back in his life.

"Yeah I know," She sounded hesitant for a second but then breathed out a large sigh, "I'm really sorry. I've just been busy with work and stuff. It's been hectic."

"I understand," He really did. Ian didn't want to make her feel like he was mad at her because that was far from what he was. Was it even possible to be mad at someone for such a long time? The past was the past and Ian was willing to overlook it if it mean having Lucy back in his arms. "I actually have an audition for something in a half an hour. I really wanna chat, Lucygoose, but I should be going soon. Maybe we could chat over dinner tonight? Say seven?" There was another long pause, but this time Ian had expected it. It was a bold move but it had to be done. Ian needed to see her in person more than he needed air. Finally he heard her voice in his ear once again.

"Sure Ian, that sounds great!" He was happy to hear the excitement in her voice. It wasn't a fake excitement either. He knew she truly meant it. "Ian?"

"Yes?"

"I really missed you." Lucy stated simply and Ian's heart did another round of flips. He had missed her too, more than words could describe.

"I've missed you too, Lucygoose."

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Lucy looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing over her skirt for the hundredth time. She had shooed Claire and Annie out of the apartment 20 minutes ago, telling them that she needed time to prepare by herself. But really she just wanted to be alone for when Ian showed up at her door. _Oh my god, _she thought to herself, _I'm going on a date with Ian. _It was a crazy thought but also one that made her feel warm inside. Ian always had that effect on her.

After about 5 minutes, there was a loud knock on the door. Lucy felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs and her stomach curled up into a tightly knitted ball. With a deep breath, she opened the door to reveal the most gorgeous man in front of her. Ian stood in a dapper suit, holding a bouquet of pink roses. Her favorite. He had remembered.

"You look beautiful," Ian told her and Lucy felt a blush creep to her cheeks. She thanked him softly. "So, are you ready to go?" Lucy nodded simply and grabbed her purse as she began to follow Ian out of her apartment complex.

The drive to the restaurant was mostly quiet until Lucy heard one of her favorite songs come onto the radio. She turned it up loud and began to sing, forgetting where she was for a few minutes. Memorized, Ian watched her. She looked gorgeous with her hair scattered all around her face and not caring that Ian was there. He loved moments like this. He loved moments with her.

Finally they got to the restaurant and a kind waitress seated them at a booth in the back. They talked about small things like work and the weather. Ian told Lucy that he had watched all the episodes of shows she had guest starred on in the past few years and Lucy admitted the same to Ian. The conversation flowed easily, just like old times. But yet something felt wrong. There was something that loomed above their heads that both refused to talk about. Ian couldn't take it any longer so he brought it up.

"Are we gonna act like nothing happened to us? Because I don't think I can do that Lucy," Ian sighed, "I've waited so long for the moment you would text me and now that you have I don't feel like it's enough. We both need closure. I need to know why you left me that night."

"It's complicated..." Lucy bit her lip. She'd been dreading this conversation all night, "I couldn't hurt you any longer Ian! I couldn't leave you to wait for me any longer! It wasn't right. I'm so sorry." She tried to focus on her food because she couldn't bring herself to look up at Ian.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" He asked and Lucy could tell he was starting to get upset, "I was numb for months after you left! I loved you Lucy! I still love you!" They both froze. Lucy could tell he hadn't meant for that to come out and she felt anxious all over again.

"This was a mistake Ian, I'm sorry. I have to go," Lucy got up from the booth. Leaving Ian behind once more.

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**Sad I know, but hopefully you liked it. Review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hey guys so thanks once again for the great reviews and support on twitter :) I think that there'll be one more chapter after this and that's the end. Unless I decide to continue it somehow. Anyway, here you go.  
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**I am not affiliated with Lucy, Ian or PLL in any way.**

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Ian slammed the apartment door loudly, not bothered by the raucous noise it made as it closed. He was too pissed at himself to care. Already, he had lost hr once in the past and now she was gone again. It was worse this time though. Ian could have stopped it. He could have ran after her and gave her a thousand reasons to stay. Instead he had been a wimp and let her walk out on him again. She left with his pride and all the great memories they shared were beginning to fade as he drowned the rest of his night in alcohol.

The more drunk he became, the more Ian resented himself. But didn't she get some of the blame? Lucy was the one that was too scared to watch their friendship develop into something more. Sure, he had messed up by telling her that he still loved her but they could work through it. Ian knew Lucy had to feel something between them. Everyone saw it. Back in the day, the fans of the show wished for them to be together more than anything. They cast and crew members saw their chemistry. So why couldn't Lucy? Why couldn't she just swallow her fears for one second and be with him?

He took another drink from the glass, thinking about the way her face had changed when he had told her he was in love with her. Ian could almost remember the exact way she flinched as he'd said it, as if she was being burned by a hot metal. But if he remembered correctly, there had been something else that was on her face. Ian focused really hard for a second and tried to remember the way her face contorted into a million different emotions. Finally, he pinpointed it. Longing, hope. He'd seen it in her eyes, even if it had been quick, it had definitely been there. It gave Ian a tiny glimmer of hope himself.

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"I ruined it!" Lucy sobbed as she entered the apartment to a frightened looking Claire and Annie, "I ruined everything with him! I always ruin everything!" She slumped into the couch and started to cry more. Claire, who was on the other end of the couch, scooted closer to the crying girl and began to try to comfort her.

"Shh..I'm sure everything will be alright. What happened? You seemed so excited to be going out with Ian earlier," Claire asked, hopeful that it wouldn't send Lucy farther into hysteria. Lucy wiped a tear from her eye, trying to figure out how to explain her terrible mistake.

"He told me he loved me, guys," Lucy squeaked and her friends' faces looked shocked. But that wasn't the problem, "I...I wanted to tell him I loved him too but...I couldn't. I felt like I would mess everything up again if I did. That I might somehow hurt him again if I'd told him I loved him back. So I just ran out." Lucy could tell her friends were confused, but they remained quiet as apposed to pounding her with questions. For that she was grateful. But she could see the looks that got passed between Annie and Claire and was suddenly upset that they were pitying her. That wasn't what she wanted. Actually, at this point, Lucy didn't even know what she wanted. No, she did know what she wanted. Ian.

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The next morning, Ian was awoken by a pounding that he thought was the alcohol coming back to bite him in the butt. But the longer it continued, Ian realized it wasn't his head at all but rather the front door. Tiredly, Ian left the warm safety of his bed and trudged to the door. As soon as he opened it, he had to do a double take and rub the sleep from his eyes to make sure this was real. He had to make sure it was really Lucy standing in his doorway.

"I figured you could use some coffee this morning," Her voice rang clear and chipper throughout his home as she handed Ian a steaming cup of Joe. "And I thought we should talk."

"Well I guess I should invite you in then," Ian felt a smile tugging at his lips and he cursed himself for it. Even when he tried to be mad at Lucy, it was impossible for him to be mad at Lucy. She smiled fondly back at him and she stepped inside his house, beginning to look about it. Ian took a drink from his coffee, grateful that Lucy had brought something to cure his hangover, "So do you like it?"

"It's really nice, Ian. Just the kind of house I would imagine you living in," Lucy chuckled a little, "And I can see you have a nice kitchen for all your cooking needs."

"Well an aspiring chef has to have a good kitchen, right?" Ian joked. There was a short silence as they both fished for words to say next. "Why did you leave? Not just last night, but all those years ago." Ian could tell Lucy was caught off guard at his abruptness but she quickly recovered.

"For years, all I heard from everyone was what a nice couple would be. The cast used to joke that you had a crush on me and I thought it was just that, a joke. But then you told me you loved me at the cast party and I realized how much I had hurt you. Every boyfriend I had, every guy I kissed, that just hurt you a little bit more. Knowing that killed me, Ian!" Ian saw tears begin to form in Lucy's eyes. "I didn't want to - I couldn't - hurt you anymore. I had to fly to Paris the next day and to make you wait even longer to be with me would've been cruel. So I set you free. Maybe it wasn't right, and maybe I knew that but I still did it. And it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

Ian took a second to take all the new information in before asking something else, "So what about last night? We had a chance to be together and you still turned me down again." Lucy bit her lip and closed her eyes before answering.

"I was scared. You laid it all out on the line and told me you loved me and frankly, it scared me. I've been so scared to be with someone ever since Pretty Little Liars ended that even you telling me that scared me. It wasn't that I didn't feel it though. Because I do. I do love you Ian. Honestly, if I had my way, we would spend as long as we need trying to make this work.

"So why don't we?" Ian moved forward and took Lucy's face in his hands. In a delicate motion, he pressed his lips against her's. Immediately, both of them felt at home. This was what they had waited forever for. Now forever was just the beginning.

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**Review! I know this looks like the end, but don't worry it's not! :) Until next time. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hello. So I'm terribly sorry about the slow updating but my computer broke and I had to wait until I got a new one. So thank you for your patience. Also, this is a bittersweet moment as it's the last chapter. Thank you all so much once again for the amazing reviews and tweets in response to this story. Alright, here we go.**

**I'm not affiliated with Lucy or Ian in any way.**

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For the first time in Ian's life he felt completely happy. Content. That was what love could do to man. It could make him feel strong. As if nothing in the world could defeat him. Though at the same time it could make him feel vulnerable. Like the whole world could come crashing down and he would simply continue to hold Lucy in his arms. It was the moment he had waited for since the day he met this beautiful woman. Now it was here, and there was no better feeling.

"Ian?" Lucy mumbled sleepily as she snuggled closer into his bare chest.

"I'm right here," Ian assured her as he planted a small kiss on her cheek. As he felt her warm skin against his lips the memories of the night before came flooding back to him. Lucy had told him from the start that she didn't want to jump into something that she wasn't a hundred and ten percent sure about. Ian, on the other hand, had never been so sure about something before in his life. Which was not to say Lucy had created the rule in spite of him, she had just wanted to take things slow for now. So Ian respected that. He would wait forever for the beautiful girl, never pressuring her into something that made her feel uncomfortable. He would wait forever to be able to make love to the woman he could now call his. But even without sex, the night had still been perfect in every way.

They had kissed all through the night, like there lives depended on it. Tongues dancing and hearts racing. They talked for hours. About the future, about their future. Ian's heart skipped a beat when Lucy admitted she didn't see her future without him in it. Then, when Lucy began to doze off to sleep, she had cuddled into Ian's chest and he had wrapped his arms around her small frame. It was the way they had stayed all night. Ian never wanted to let go.

"Are you hungry, beautiful?" Ian asked when he could tell that Lucy was awake enough to answer a question.

"Yeah a little bit," Lucy told him after a little thought, "What's cooking chef Harding?" She teased and kissed the tip of his nose as she leaped out of bed. Ian chuckled and threw the covers off of himself as he began to chase her to the kitchen. Once he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around as she giggled wildly. It was a sound that was pure joy to Ian's ears. Lucy's laugh was something he wouldn't trade for anything. Just knowing that Lucy was happy made him happier than words could express.

As they entered the kitchen, Lucy seated herself on the counter while Ian raided his fridge for something to eat. Lucy watched him quietly, taking in the beauty of the few dark curls that fell into his face. She reminisced about how his lips felt pressed against hers. Yesterday, if someone were to ask Lucy if she was in love with Ian, her answer would've been full of uncertainty and carefulness. But if you were to ask her now, her answer would be simple and clear. Yes. She was in love with the boy with the goofy smile and gorgeous blue eyes. He could've asked her to travel around the world with him and she would've said yes simply because it was Ian.

"Alright Miss Hale," Ian said, removing his head from the fridge and snapping Lucy out of her thoughts, "I can make you some eggs and pancakes because it seems I'm overdue for a trip to Whole Foods." Lucy laughed and kissed the top of his forehead as he set the egg carton on the counter next to her.

"That sounds absolutely perfect to me," She smiled as he moved closer to kiss her. His lips met hers and immediately Lucy felt warm inside again. "Mmm...okay chef, start cooking. I'm starving." Lucy joked, ruffling his hair as he walked away.

Ian finished breakfast in a timely manner, but it didn't seem to take long as Lucy preoccupied him with lively banter. Together, they took their plates and sat down at the dining table. For a few minutes, they were both quiet as they were busy eating. Lucy couldn't remember a time she had been this hungry but she had been focusing on other things lately so food hadn't necessarily been at the top of her list. It felt good to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal and the company with Ian. The men she had dated in the past two years had never treated her like Ian did. She always felt like she was more of a prop to them if anything. But Ian made her feel special, he made her feel wanted and loved. It was better than anything Lucy could ask for.

"I love you," Lucy blurted out unexpectedly, looking up from her food to gauge Ian's reaction. He looked up from his food as well and seemed startled for a second, until a wide smile spread across his face.

"I love you too, Lucy," He told her, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. They stayed quiet for another moment, until a thought popped into Ian's head. "Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"Ok I know this sounds crazy and you have to promise me you won't freak out," Ian's voice sounded shaky.

"I promise," Lucy was confused but she hoped her promise would calm Ian down even the slightest bit.

"Oh man, I wish I was doing this another way," Ian took a deep breath as he looked into Lucy's large, beautiful, green eyes, "Lucy Hale, I have spent the past five years loving you more than I ever thought it were possible for a man to love a woman. Everyday I spend with you makes me happier than the last. I know this seems rushed but it's me, Luce, you've known me forever. We've been friends forever and there's no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?"

Lucy sat silenced for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. It seemed like a big step, but Ian was right. They had five years full of laughs and memories under their belts and marriage would just be a chance to add more and more. Lucy knew very well that no one would love her the way that Ian did. No one would ever be able to love her more, so what was the use in looking for someone else? Ian was exactly what she had wanted all these years, she'd just been too blind to realize it. Two years ago, she'd let him slip away but she wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Yes, Ian, I will marry you."

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**I smell a sequel ;) Haha once again thank you all so much for the awesome support. It's the last chapter so do me one last favor and leave me a review!**

**Alright this is it. Love ya'll**

**-Jill **


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